The present invention relates to an instrument or device for a gel process used in a field of an analytical technology in the chemistry and the biotechnology, and more specifically, the present invention relates to an instrument or device used in a process for splitting an objective biopolymer from a gel after the biopolymer, such as protein or DNA, is separated by an electrophoresis by using slab-like gel.
In order to provide a biopolymer as a sample for analyzing means by splitting the biopolymer existing in a desired electrophoresis pattern from a slab-like gel in which the biopolymer is separated by an electrophoresis, a desired portion of the slab-like gel, in which the separation of the biopolymer is completed by the electrophoresis, is cut or hollowed out. Then, the biopolymer is recovered from the cut-out or hollowed-out gel piece by a chemical process by a proteolytic enzyme or the like and an extraction, and these processes are carried out by a manual operation or by using various robots. The extracted biopolymer is provided as a sample to the analyzing means.
In the operation of recovering the objective biopolymer from the gel piece, a microtube 2 as shown in FIG. 3 or the like is used. The cut-out gel piece 4 is inserted into the microtube 2, and respective steps, such as wetting or humectation into various solutions 8, taking out the solution, and drying, are carried out by a micro-tip 6 or micro-pipette provided at a distal end of a nozzle. In this case, in the respective steps, it is necessary to proceed the operations or works without damaging the gel piece while the gel piece is prevented from closing the tip or the nozzle.
In case the biopolymer is recovered from the gel piece, in the several steps of humectation or soaking into the various solutions and drying, which are carried out until the final step of extracting the biopolymer into a solution, the biopolymer is chemically processed in the condition that the biopolymer is adsorbed to the gel piece.
Since the operation of recovering the objective biopolymer from the gel piece after being electrophoresed is cumbersome, automation is demanded for the purpose of mass processing. However, if a separation and infusing mechanism using the micro-pipette or the nozzle is used for carrying out discharge and suction of the solution, due to a dispersion of the gel or a contamination of bubbles at the time of discharging the solution, the gel piece may not be completely soaked in the solution, or the gel may close the tip or the nozzle in case of sucking the solution. In order to avoid the above incidents, the pipette operation is required to be conducted while avoiding the gel piece. However, such a demand prevents the automation of the operation, and even if the operation is conducted manually, skill is required for the aforementioned operation.
Regarding the suction of the solution, there is a method of sucking the solution from a bottom surface of a container by using a filter or the like without using the nozzle. However, if a solution suction unit by a pressure reduction described above is provided, the device becomes large.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an instrument or device which can easily conduct a chemical process before the final step of abstracting biopolymers into a solution in an operation of recovering an objective biopolymer from a cut-out gel piece.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.